Nigerian firm acquires rig to stem pipeline sabotage

AFP

19 July 2011

Nigerian firm acquires rig to stem pipeline sabotage

WARRI — A Nigerian firm said Tuesday it has acquired a drilling rig that will make it difficult for oil thieves and vandals to sabotage oil and gas pipelines in the oil-rich country.

"Fenog has acquired the new horizonal directional drilling rig popularly called the HDD rig," the company, based in the southern port city of Warri, said in a statement.

"By this new technology, Fenog is poised to collaborate with the federal government to ensure a more efficient refined and unrefined products distribution and indeed put an end to the worrisome pipeline vandalism," it said.

The firm said the equipment estimated at around 15 million dollars, was imported from Germany and was in line with a recent policy by President Goodluck Jonathan to encourage greater participation of local firms in the country's multi-billion-dollar oil and gas industry.